9 Amendments of Cristian Dan PREDA related to 2013/2168(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph A
Paragraph A
A. Whereas Pakistan is a semi- industrialised, lower middle-income country with around one third of its population living below the poverty line; whereas Pakistan ranks 146th out of 187 countries in the 2012 Human Development Index (HDI), down from 145th position in 2011; whereas the economic situation of Pakistan has been harmed by successive natural disasters, and whereas a high level of insecurity, instability and widespread corruption in the country weaken its economic growth and limit the government's ability to develop the state;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph A a (new)
Paragraph A a (new)
A a. whereas Pakistan is vulnerable to a wide range of hazards, predominantly floods and earthquakes; whereas the volatile security situation, together with Pakistan's social challenges, are working as a catalyst in increasing its vulnerability; whereas multiple years of disasters have exhausted the coping strategies of already impoverished communities and severely reduced their resilience to future disasters;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph A b (new)
Paragraph A b (new)
A b. whereas the aim of the EU-Pakistan 5 year Engagement Plan is to build a strategic relationship and forge a partnership for peace and development rooted in shared values and principles;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that unequal feudalistic land ownership in rural Pakistan remains unaddressed, with 2.5 % of the population owning over 40 % of the land and with nearly half of the rural population owning nothing at all; stresses that landlessness and lack of access to irrigation water and other production facilities perpetuate rural poverty and social instability; underlines that access to secure, affordable, clean and sustainable energy, safe drinking water, sustainable services for health and education, as well as security are crucial for improving the lives of the Pakistani people and the long-term development of the country;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Underlines that a proactive human rights agenda - including, inter alia, measures to end sectarian attacks, protect religious minorities and women's rights, ensure media freedom, end counter- terrorism abuses and restore the moratorium on the death penalty - is essential for Pakistan's development;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Remains deeply concerned about the alarming situation of women in Pakistan; calls for concrete and visible measures to enforce women’s fundamental rights in the society, including enacting legislation against domestic violence and taking measures to improve investigation and prosecution of honour killings and acid attacks, as well as a revision of the legislation that facilitates impunity; points out the need to ensure better access to education and better integration of women in the labour market, as well as improving maternal healthcare;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that the EU, as a major donor, remains committed to assisting Pakistan in achieving its long-term development goals and ensuring sustained and broad-based economic growth; recalls the EU-Pakistan five-year engagement plan of March 2012, containing priorities such as good governance, cooperation in the field of women’s empowerment, energy and sustainable agriculture, as well as and dialogue on human rights;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Reiterates its deep concern that the blasphemy laws – which can carry the death sentence in Pakistan and are often used to justify censorship, criminalisation, persecution and, in certain cases, the murder of members of political and religious minorities – are open to a misuse that affects people of all faiths in Pakistan; underlines that the refusal to reform or repeal the blasphemy laws creates an environment of persistent vulnerability for minority communities; calls on the Pakistani government to implement a moratorium on the use of these laws, as a first step towards their revision and to investigate and prosecute, as appropriate, campaigns of intimidation, threats, and violence against Christians, Ahmadis, and other vulnerable groups.
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Underlines that it is essential to ensure that disaster risk reduction and disaster preparedness are scaled up and mainstreamed into humanitarian response, increasing beneficiaries' resilience to future disasters; calls on the European Commission to continue to promote a coordinated approach and response with existing humanitarian mechanisms at international and local level;